Wednesday News: Waterstones dumps Kindle, new Twilight book, Austrian writer jailed, and a goofy quiz
Publishing Newsbooksellers / Brontes / ereaders / Holocaust / Kindle / publishing / Twilight / Waterstones26 Comments
Waterstones is removing Kindles from stores – In the wake of reports that print sales continue to gain strength, UK bookseller Waterstones is going to stop selling Kindles in their store due to poor sales. In fact, the word “pitiful” was used to describe sales of the e-reading device. This reality is in line with predictions that tablets and other multifunction devices will usurp e-readers for consumption of digital books.
However David Prescott, c.e.o. of Blackwell’s, also said that fewer e-reading devices were being sold at his chain, which stocks Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-reader. “We’re not seeing a great deal of people who are buying an e-reader for the first time now,” he said. “People are buying e-reader replacements, but that’s it.”
Douglas McCabe, analyst for Enders, said it was “no surprise” Waterstones was removing Kindle device sales from its shops. “The e-reader may turn out to be one of the shortest-lived consumer technology categories,” he said. – The Bookseller
‘Twilight’ Characters Swap Genders in 10th Anniversary Bonus: ‘Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined’ – aka if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. When Stephenie Meyer’s publisher asked her to write a forward for the 10th anniversary edition of Twilight, Meyer decided to do “more,” and thus wrote a 400-plus-page version of the book in which the main characters — Edward and Bella — swap genders. Because we haven’t had nearly enough of these two. The interview itself is interesting, because, on the one hand, Meyer indicates that the story doesn’t change. But at the same time she says that the gender switch changes the characters. What does this mean? Well, more money for Meyer and her publisher, that’s for sure. And maybe beating EL James to the punch of yet another variation on the books. And despite the screaming fans you see in the interview with Meyer, if you read the reviews at Amazon, some Twilight fans seem to be pretty ticked.
“It’s always bothered me a little bit because anyone surrounded by superheroes is going to be … in distress. We don’t have the powers,” Meyer said. “I thought, ‘What if we switched it around a bit and see how a boy does,’ and, you know, it’s about the same.”
“The further you get in, the more it changes because the personalities get a little bit different, but it starts out very similar and really, it really is the same story because it’s just a love story and it doesn’t matter who’s the boy and who’s the girl, it still works out,” she said. – Yahoo
Holocaust historians condemn Austria jailing of Jewish writer – A bizarre and disturbing story about the conviction of Jewish writer Stephan Templ, who has criticized Austria’s handling of Jewish property under the Nazi regime. In addition to Templ’s chronicling of Austria’s failure to return property taken from Austrian Jews, the writer also filed a claim on behalf of his own mother for a building seized in the late 1930s. Because Templ did not include an aunt (who also had a share in the property) in the filing, his claim was not only rejected, but he was convicted for “defrauding the state,” Initially sentenced to three years, the penalty was reduced to one:
In September Austrian President Heinz Fischer rejected a request for clemency, saying the punishment was fair because the court had ruled that Templ had “damaged Austria” by his actions.
Critics have called the decision to jail the writer an “overreaction” and have suggested it may be linked to his criticism of the government’s restitution record. . . .
Karl Pfeifer, a veteran Austrian journalist and a Holocaust survivor, has been quoted as saying: “The only reason Templ was prosecuted is that he touched a nerve with his book, which reminded the Austrians of how they stole Jewish property.” – BBC
Which Brontë sibling are you? – Prepare yourself for the “public events” associated with the upcoming bicentennial of the birth of the Brontës. Or take this quiz and see if you can figure out how not to get Emily.
All four of the Brontës (well, except for Branwell, the often-forgotten brother) are noted for their enduring contributions to English literature, and between them they produced classic novels Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall among others. – The Telegraph
Bramwell contributed to science, if not literature: he proved you could die standing up!
I got Anne.
I’m not surprised about ereaders, but I do hope they don’t die off completely. It is so much easier to read on my Paperwhite than on an LCD screen, plus my tablet cannot store more than one or two books, so I realistically can’t read on it anywhere without internet access without risking running out of material. (And don’t get me started on battery life.)
@Lostshadows:
I was always surprised that bookshops stocked e-readers in the first place (too much like helping the competition) and even more so that anyone bought them there. If you are thinking of buying a Kindle you are probably already part of Amazon’s customer base and will buy on-line.
As for their supposed decline, I think we need numbers from Amazon before we can be sure what is going on. Declining Nook sales in particular only illustrate B&N’s continuing problems. Though I can understand why smart phones are proving popular with those reading away from home (only one device to carry) I’ve spent too much time this year sitting out in the garden reading in the sunshine to want anything but an e-ink screen.
I also hope that they survive, especially as they are much better value for money if what you really want to do is read (rather than wander the pavements like a zombie chatting away about nothing – though I guess that this makes me a behind the times grumpy old man?).
I base all purse buying decisions on whether it fits my Kindle, wallet, keys and phone. Between battery life, storage, and eyestrain I refuse to live without it. I did buy my first one at Target because I was already there and it was on sale.
The e-ink black and white reader will always appeal to those of us who aren’t comfortable reading on a bright screen. Tablets are gorgeous. But…ow.
@Sarina Bowen: Yeah, I love e-ink. I don’t want to read on a tablet.
“anyone surrounded by superheroes is going to be … in distress. We don’t have the powers” Well Ms Meyer, that does not give us a good excuse to write insipid, in-distress characters. There are countless characters without powers in a fantasy world who rock, e.g. Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle, Carrot in Discworld, etc.
I like ereaders. Tablets are too heavy, my smartphone too small. And the print in books is getting problematic for me as I get older.
I’d be devastated if mine broke and there were none available to replace it because ereaders had become obsolete.
@Jane Davitt: Amen!! I love my Sony so much, I have a new one in the box in my room ready for use if something happens to my current reader.
I love to sit out on the deck during the summer and read, kind of hard to do if you don’t have e-ink.
When my Kindle crapped out, I got a tablet. I wanted to be able to have color if I need it and the Kindle died too early.
I agree about reading on a dedicated e-reader versus a tablet. I have both and much prefer the e-reader; it’s easier on the eyes, better for bright light, more comfortable to hold and carry. I see the appeal of reading on a phone and once in a while I do but again, the e-ink on the e-reader is so much easier to read.
What I don’t understand about the Stephanie Meyer thing was this “What if we switched it around a bit and see how a boy does,’ and, you know, it’s about the same.”
Isn’t that to be expected because as the author she could make it the same?
I tried to buy a Kindle via Waterstones but they did not have the one I wanted and seemed unable to get it. I think it is wishful thinking for publishers to be ringing the death knell for e-readers.
They’ll have to pry my Paperwhite from my cold dead hands.
@HelenB: I think your absolutely correct on this. The whole conclusion that ebook sales are sagging was based on numbers that left out portions of book sales that the traditional industry doesn’t want to acknowledge. The market hates a vacuum so if Waterstones bows out, their absence will be filled elsewhere.
OMG: YOU’RE. YOU’RE. YOU’RE. Oh the shame of it. Argh.
LOVE my kindle paperwhite! I can read in the dark, in the sun and it doesn’t give me a headache like my tablet does when I read for hours on end.
I have a Kindle Voyage and I love how lightweight it is, as well as how easy it is on my eyes. My iPhone 5S is too small to comfortably read on, but my husband likes to read on his Galaxy Note 4. I have an ongoing wrist issue so I don’t want to read on a tablet or phablet. If the e-ink kindles ever go under, I will be in a serious funk.
@T.S.: “Isn’t that to be expected because as the author she could make it the same?”
Exactly! I think, though, that Meyer is playing to that ‘the stories just write themselves’ narrative. And I’ll admit, as someone who recently spent a lot of time thinking about gender in Twilight and some of its fan fictions, I’m probably going to slog through the reversal, because I am curious enough to see how Meyer re-wrote the story (as opposed to how it just ‘came out,’ as if it were not being intentionally constructed). Does Edward become the dude in distress? Because that might be interesting. And does she switch all the characters, because how do you switch Edward and Bella and not some of the supporting cast?
I got Emily when I took the quiz last night!
I will cry when my Kindle Keyboard dies. I love e-ink and the navigation buttons.
I don’t think I can get past the names being Edwina and Beau to enjoy Twilight reimagined. Both make me cringe.
I did cry last year when my Kindle keyboard died. The went online to Amazon, ordered a Kindle Voyager, and thanks to Prime had it in 2 days. I read on my phone while waiting but I much prefer an e-ink screen.
Nooooo. I am not Emily. Is it rigged. Is everyone Emily?
“Quiet and dutiful Anne, you put up with a lot of rubbish for the sake of a quiet life. But your ability to tolerate years of doing things you hate in the service of other people will pay off in the long run, as you’ll be remembered fondly for your novels Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Obviously you’ll be overshadowed by the more famous novels by your show-off sisters, but you’ll forever be the off-the-beaten track Bronte that all hipster English Literature students claim to like best. A triumph of sorts.”
Eh, OK, I guess.
I’ll read some books on the tablet (stuff w/ charts, illustrations, maps, etc.), but neither the tablet nor phone is preferable to a Kindle for general reading. It makes me want to stockpile ereaders if I ever get wind of Amazon discontinuing them.
I have a Kindle Fire, but when I won a Galaxy tablet, I didn’t look back. I can easily access every platform I read on, surf the web (Amazon’s browser is horrible), and treat the tablet like a phone-less version of my Galaxy S4. It’s also more attractive than the Kindle.
I got Charlotte.
I thought that for many the appeal of Twilight was imagining themselves as the empty shell helpless female getting rescued by the superhero. I can definitely see how a gender swap wouldn’t work for the diehard “Lion and Lamb” fans.
My phone is so old I can’t even receive pictures on it, so I’m not excited about devices you can do a thousand things on. I treat my Kindle like a book, and I love it for pulling me away from distractions.
If Kindles disappear I would be worried.